WILMINGTON, N.C. – Sophomore righthander Seth
Cutler-Voltz (right) tossed his third
complete game of the season and Virginia Commonwealth University
rallied for a 4-3 win against UNC Wilmington in the first game of a
three-game set Friday evening at Brooks Field.

VCU escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of
the ninth as Cutler-Voltz surrendered a leadoff single to Michael
Bass and the Seahawks went on to load the bases with two
outs. Robbie Monday, who leads the Colonial Athletic
Association with 14 home runs, sent a charge into the right center
gap but junior John
Lenherr was able to make the catch and preserve the
win.

VCU improved to 24-17-1 overall and 12-3-1 in CAA
play, while UNC Wilmington lost for the seventh time in its last
nine games and fell to 23-20, 8-8 in conference action.

Cutler-Voltz, who became the first VCU pitcher
since Harold Mozingo in 2006 to throw three complete games, allowed
three runs on nine hits and moved to 6-3 on the season. The
Richmond, Va., native has thrown at least seven innings in his last
nine outings and posted a win in four of his six CAA starts.

Junior Greg Fujii, who made his
second straight start at shortstop for the Rams, finished 2-for-4
and drove in a pair of runs to put the VCU on top in the sixth
inning. Seniors Richard
Gonzalez and Matt
Leskiw each went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Junior
Joe Van
Meter went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and extended
his season-long hitting streak to 13 games.

Ben Thielsen led off the UNC Wilmington third
inning with a single down the right field line and advanced to
second after Lenherr had trouble corralling the ball near foul
territory. Alex Hill blooped a one-out single into center and
Thielsen scored from third to put the Seahawks on top 1-0.

UNC Wilmington added two more runs in the bottom
of the fourth. Grayson Evans lined a leadoff single into left
and Rhett Miller and Bass each reached on back-to-back infield
singles to load the bases with one out. Thielsen then lifted
a sacrifice fly into center and Miller scored on a wild pitch to
extend the UNC Wilmington lead to 3-0.

But it didn't take long for VCU to answer as the
Rams got on the board with a pair of runs in the fifth. UNC
Wilmington starter Tyler McSwain issued a leadoff walk to sophomore
Paul
Nice and Fujii sent a single into left to place
runners on first and second with one out. Leskiw then doubled
into the left center gap and Gonzalez followed with an infield
single and VCU pulled within 3-2.

The Rams continued to rally and took the lead in
the top of the sixth. For the second straight inning VCU drew
a leadoff walk as Van Meter reached safely for the third
time. Lenherr laid down a sacrifice bunt and Mikionis
followed with a single into left and the Black & Gold had
runners on the corners with one out. Nice reached on an
infield single to load the bases and Fujii came through with a
two-RBI single into left and VCU went ahead 4-3.

VCU and UNC Wilmington continue with game two of the series
Saturday at 4 p.m. before concluding the three-game set on Sunday
at 2 p.m.